Packing
Bikes, instruments and luggage that will not fold
Oversize and fragile items follow a different set of rules, and almost all the cost is decided before you reach the airport.
Packing
What goes in the bag, what stays home, and why the list keeps shrinking.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 2 of 2
Packing
Rolling versus folding is the wrong argument
Both methods move roughly the same volume of cloth. What changes is the shape of bag they suit, and how the clothes look when you…
Packing
Fabric decides how little you can carry
The number of garments you need is set by how fast they dry and how long they stay wearable. Both are properties of the material…
Packing
Zips, seams and the four places a bag actually fails
Luggage rarely fails all at once. It fails at four predictable points, and three of them are repairable if you notice early enough.
Packing
Medication crosses borders under its own rules
Rules on carrying medicine are set by each country, not by your airline. The practical work is documentation, quantity and where…
Packing
Cables and chargers are a category, not an afterthought
Electronics arrive in the bag with a tail of accessories nobody counts. Treated as one system, that tail usually halves.
Packing
Why the same bag weighs differently at every desk
Two check-in desks in the same hall can disagree about your bag by a kilogram. The reasons are mechanical, and several of them are…
Packing
Leave the bag one-fifth empty, and know what for
A bag packed to capacity has no capacity. The space you leave is doing work, and it is worth deciding in advance what that work is.
Packing
A packing list is a subtraction exercise
Most lists grow with every trip because nothing is ever taken off them. A list that shrinks needs a rule for removal.